Teatro VivoThe 2017 Austin Latino New Play Festival
Festival of New Work Features the Diverse Voices of Playwrights Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos, Anthony Aguilar, and Luis Vega
AUSTIN, Texas — Teatro Vivo presents the 7th annual Austin Latino New Play Festival (ALNPF), in collaboration with ScriptWorks, March 3-4, 2017 at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. The festival includes three evenings and one afternoon of staged readings of new Latino plays.
The ALNPF brings playwrights and audience members together in conversation surrounding new theatre works that provide insight into the Latino experience. After each reading, the playwright participates in a talkback session with the audience. The ALNPF features three new plays, including a theatre-for-youth piece that will be presented the afternoon of Saturday March 4, 2017. All three plays tell stories with Latino roots and explore cross-cultural themes and dilemmas that surprise, challenge, engage, and push the dramatic envelope for audience members accustomed to one-way conversations at the theater.
Friday, March 3 (8 p.m.): The Hall of Final Ruin by Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos
Directed by Alexis Arredondo
Synopsis: As the Mexicans abandon 19th century Santa Fe to the Americans, a wealthy, high-stakes gambler wants only to preserve her family’s way of life and die a good Catholic death. But, the arrival of a needy Protestant, a fortune in ill-gotten gold, and unorthodox coaching from Death’s irreverent cart driver, complicate the ‘madrina’s’ perfect exit into Purgatory, forcing a final card game in which all is both lost and won.
Playwright: Winner of the Southern Playwrights Competition for To Tread Among Serpents, Kelly’s aesthetic view is a fusion of Southern Appalachian and Southwest U.S. culture and heavily influenced by the literary genres of Gothicism, Romanticism, and Magical Realism. Kelly’s plays have been produced or workshopped at Something Marvelous (Chicago), Renaissance Theaterworks (Milwaukee), the Barter Theatre (VA), The Bechdel Group (NY), Raíces Theatre Company (Buffalo), Jacksonville State University, among others. She earned a degree in theatre from the University of New Mexico.
Saturday, March 4 (3 p.m.): Emma & the Suzies by Anthony Aguilar (Theatre for Youth)
Directed by Sam Provenzano
Synopsis: After her grandson is caught spray painting, Grandma Emma must relive her rebellious youth in 1960s Boyle Heights. Now she watches on as her teenage self tries to start a gang named after her friends, the Suzies. But can Grandma Emma’s stories of defiance convince her grandson not to follow in her footsteps? This comedic play will have young teens and adults alike laughing with delight.
Playwright: Anthony Aguilar is a writer with several plays performed throughout the Los Angeles area. He is also the creator of the El Verde series, which follows the adventures of a Latino superhero. Productions include the punk rock musical, Little Red (Casa 0101, 2015), El Verde (Casa 0101 / TeAda Productions, Miles Memorial Playhouse, 2009), El Verde: The Wrath of Kahlo (Inner-City Arts, The Rosenthal Theater, 2014), and For One Mariachi (East LA Rep / Watts Village Theater Company, Meet Me At Metro, 2012). He received a series of readings through Center Theatre Group’s The Shop initiative for his stageplays El Verde and Emma & the Suzies (2014 / 2015) He has also been a writer’s assistant for Hulu’s East Los High (season 1) and a production office assistant on Comedy Central’s Key and Peele (season 5). He holds a B.A. in Theatre from California State University, Northridge and is originally from Boyle Heights, California.
Saturday, March 4 (8 p.m.): The Last Barnstorm by Luis Vega
Directed by Adam Martinez
Synopsis: Seeking to escape a troubled home life and racial segregation in the United States, an up-and-coming Negro League baseball player abandons his wife and newborn child for the chance to start anew in Mexico. Before long, drink and physical injury stall his dream of stardom, and he must reckon with what remains in a land that suddenly feels very far from home.
Playwright: Luis Vega is an actor, writer, and a teacher in New York City. Born to Puerto Rican parents, he grew up bilingual between the mainland and the island. As an actor, he has appeared off-Broadway and regionally at The Williamstown Theater Festival, The Atlantic Theater Company, The Culture Project, HERE Arts Center, South Coast Repertory and Virginia Stage. He has also appeared in TV and film, most notably, the Sundance feature, Another Earth (directed by Mike Cahill). Although Luis has written a number of short plays and films, The Last Barnstorm is his first full-length play. He is a graduate of Columbia University (BA in English) and UCSD (MFA in Acting).
Contact Dolores Diaz for more information, images, and interviews at austinlnpf@gmail.com.
This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
WET: A DACAmented Journey
Teatro Vivo presents the National Tour of
A Cara Mía Theatre and IgniteArts/Dallas Production
This is the story of what it means to be an American in every sense of the word except for one: on paper. It chronicles the journey of Anner Cividanis, who has lived his whole life in the United States as an undocumented American. The play captures the desperation that DREAMers feel when being forced to navigate through a broken U.S. Immigration System. This solo performance examines the emotional and psychological hardship one man has to endure in order to secure his livelihood in the only home he has known: Los Angeles. Alex Alpharaoh was recently featured in American Theatre magazine.
“I was asked recently, why do this project now, doesn’t this put you at risk?” says writer and performer Alex Alpharoah. “I’ve lived my entire life in the shadows, where it was cold, lonely, and dark. I never knew that there were people like me. If I would have known sooner that there were people in situations similar to mine, I would have felt a sense of comfort in knowing that I was not alone. I speak for those who cannot, who are too afraid, who have a language barrier, who are tired, and feel defeated, like I tend to feel on my worst days. I speak because at any day, they can end DACA and I can be right back to square zero. But, before that happens, I’m going to make sure you hear me.”
This production is part of a national tour, in partnership with Cara Mía Theatre in Dallas, Ignite Arts Dallas, and ArtsEmerson in Boston.
October 4-7, 2018
Thursday – Saturday 8:00 PM
Sunday 2:00 PM
Emma S. Barrientos
Mexican American Cultural Center
600 River Street
Austin, Texas 78701
Real Women Have Curves
Teatro Vivo proudly presents Real Women Have Curves, a bilingual comedy by renowned playwright and screenwriter Josefina López, presented at the Emma S. Barrientos-Mexican American Cultural Center, directed by Claudia M. Chávez.
While they work in a tiny sewing factory, a group of women talk about their husbands and lovers, their children, and their dreams for the future. Ana, the youngest among them, just graduated from high school and dreams of going off to college. Although she needs the money, Ana doesn’t like working at the factory and has little respect for her coworkers, who make fun of her. But she keeps going to work and slowly gains an understanding and appreciation of the work and the women. With an all-star cast including Martinique Duchene-Phillips, Gina Marie Hinojosa, Eva McQuade, Ana Laura de Santiago, and Minerva Villa, this hilarious and touching story celebrates real women, their power, and the incredible bond that happens when women work together.
August 3-19, 2018
Emma S. Barrientos – Mexican American Cultural Center
600 River St, Austin, TX 78701
Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 2pm
ASL Interpreted performance
Sunday, August 19, 2:00 PM
Stage management by Magaly Olavarria
Set Design by Tomas Salas and Gerardo de la Cruz
Lighting Design by Patrick Anthony
Costume Design by Melissa Swartz
Sound Design by Fabian Duran
Graphic Design by Paul Del Bosque
About Josefina López:
Born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico in 1969, Josefina Lopez was five years old when she and her family migrated to the United States and settled in the East Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights. Josefina is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago, has an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA’s School of Film & Television, and has a Diplome de Cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. Josefina is the recipient of numerous awards, including a formal recognition from U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer’s 7th Annual “Women Making History in Hollywood” in1998; and a Screenwriting Fellowship from the California Arts Council in 2001. She and Real Women Have Curves screenplay co-author George LaVoo won the HUMANITIES PRIZE for Screenwriting in 2002, The Gabriel Garcia Marquez Award from L.A. Mayor in 2003, and the Artist-in-Residency grant from the NEA/TCG for 2007. Josefina is presently developing the musical version of Real Women Have Curves for Broadway. Josefina is the Founding Artistic Director of CASA 0101 Theater in Boyle Heights which is celebrating it’s 15th anniversary. For more information please go casa0101.org.
Sangre de un Ángel
A play for the whole familia, inspired by true events.
Teatro Vivo presents Sangre de un Ángel
by Roxanne Schroeder-Arce
Directed by Si Mon’ Emmett
Teatro Vivo proudly presents Sangre de un Ángel at the Oswaldo A.B. Cantu Panamerican Recreation Center. Ángel is a rebellious teenaged boy. Despite the efforts of his loving and supportive family, Ángel seeks the approval of his troubled friends and their crew. He is encouraged back to school by an auto-mechanics teacher who gives him the opportunity to rebuild a classic 1957 Chevy. Eventually, Ángel begins to open up to his family and a hopeful future, but trouble follows him home when angry young men come looking for him.
Sangre de un Ángel is inspired by the true story of Adam L. Chapa Sr., who was shot in his driveway by a teen gang member in East Austin on March 25, 1998.
“This play is especially important for young adults,” says Emmett, who is also a cousin of Adam Chapa. “Teenagers, teenagers of color most importantly, don’t often see themselves represented in professional theater in a way where we can see the multiple elements of their lives influencing their decisions. Their stories are important.” Sangre de un Angel is being presented to the public for free.
June 1 at 8 PM, June 2 at 4 PM and 8 PM, June 3 at 8 PM
Oawaldo A.B. Cantu Panamerican Recreation Center
2100 E. 3rd St, Austin, TX 78702
Teatro Vivo is a proud member of the Latino Arts Residency Program at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. This project is sponsored in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and the University of Texas Division on Diversity and Community Engagement.
Announcing the Playwrights for the Austin Latino New Play Festival 2018
Playwrights Augusto Federico Amador, Victor I. Cazares, Ramon Esquivel, and Dania Ramos Showcase Diverse Voices
Teatro Vivo is excited to announce the playwrights for the the 8th annual Austin Latino New Play Festival. The festival will be presented in collaboration with ScriptWorks, April 19-21, 2018 at the Emma S. Barrientos – Mexican American Cultural Center.
The ALNPF unites playwrights and audience members in conversation surrounding new works of Latino theatre. After each performance, the playwright participates in a talkback session with the audience. The ALNPF features four new plays by playwrights from throughout the U.S., including a play for young audiences. The four plays explore cross-cultural themes and dilemmas that surprise, challenge, engage, and push the dramatic envelope.
With support from the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, the playwrights will join us in Austin to workshop and further develop their work.
Atacama by Augusto Federico Amador
Directed by Mary Alice Carnes
Thirty years after the dirty war waged by the General Pinochet regime on the Chilean people. Two strangers search the Atacama Desert for their buried loved ones and discover there are darker truths awaiting them underneath the hard sands of the Atacama.
Augusto Federico Amador was born and raised in the Silicon Valley and is the son of an accomplished Peruvian Jazz composer and an Austrian mother. Mr. Amador has recently been awarded the prestigious Lincoln City Fellowship from Speranza Foundation for playwriting. Atacama placed in 50 Playwright Project’s 2017 list of best unproduced Latino plays, as well as a runner up for the 2017 National Latino Playwriting Award from the Arizona Theater Company. His plays have been finalists or semi-finalists for several awards, including the Eugene O’Neill Conference, Princess Grace Award, Terrence McNally Award, Metlife Foundation National Latino Playwright Award, New Works Labs at Stratford, and the Lee Strasberg Theater, among others.
American (Tele)visions by Victor I. Cazares
Directed by Alexis A. Arredondo
The Canales family just can’t catch a break: The dad gets impaled with the TV antenna, the mom and Stanley the truck driver have run off with half their doublewide mobile home, the brother is dead and is reanimated by his gay Vietnamese lover, and Erica…Erica is a kids’s TV dinner tray with lots of sodium and dreams. You know, just your typical undocumented Mexican family living in the shadow of the first Wal-Mart in the history of the American Universe. Now please someone get them an HBO show. Elevator Pitch: “Estos Somos Nosotros” meets Super Mario NES.
Victor I. Cazares was born twice on paper: in El Paso, Texas and San Lorenzo, Chihuahua, Mexico. His plays have been read, developed, or produced at American Repertory Theatre, Amherst College, Brown University, New York Theatre Workshop, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Red Fern Theatre Company, and the Yale School of Drama. Cazares holds an M.F.A. from Brown University and a B.A. in History of Art from Yale University where he received a Josef Albers Fellowship and a Sudler Grant. He lives, forages, and produces his social media telenovela, El Amor en Tiempos de Trump in Portland, Oregon.
Dulce by Ramon Esquivel (A Play for Young Audiences)
Directed by Khristián Méndez Aguirre
A boy named Memo learns that Abuelita, his beloved grandmother, has died. Unsure of how to feel, Memo decides to find Abuelita’s hidden stash of candy. But his mother Luisa and older sister Ceci are too caught up in their own grief to help, so Memo turns to an unexpected ally in his search for the dulce: Abuelita herself! Memo journeys with Abuelita through her memories as a child in Mexico and a young immigrant in the USA, and he discovers that the true treasure Abuelita left for him is familia. A play for young audiences (ages 8+) and families, Dulce draws on both magical realism and slapstick comedy to tell a story about cultural identity, intergenerational ties, and learning how to say goodbye.
Ramón Esquivel is a playwright based in the Pacific Northwest. He teaches playwriting and theatre education at Central Washington University. In 2017, his play Luna was produced at the University of Texas and toured Austin-area schools. Luna is featured in Palabras del Cielo: An Exploration of Latina/o Theatre for Young Audiences, a play anthology from Dramatic Publishing. The Hero Twins: Blood Race, an original story inspired by Mayan mythology, premieres in April at Appalachian Young People’s Theatre in North Carolina. Above Between Below, a play about bullying, is currently touring middle schools in Washington and Oregon through a partnership between Seattle Children’s Theatre and Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre. Dulce was the first play Ramón ever wrote, though it has never been produced. He is grateful for the opportunity to revisit this deeply personal work, and to share it with young audiences and families in Austin.
Hielo by Dania Ramos
Directed by Carl Gonzales
It is spring 2017 in Cayey, Puerto Rico. When Lucia’s hours at the local superstore are cut back, she decides it’s time to follow her dream of starting a homemade flavored-ice business. She enlists the help of her book-smart teenaged daughter, Alondra, and her resourceful best friend, Yamilet, but things heat up when the neighborhood piragüero feels that his livelihood is threatened. Lucia must consider what’s best for her neighborhood, her daughter, and herself.
Dania Ramos‘s stage plays have been produced or developed by Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, Luna Stage, Writers Theatre of New Jersey, Speranza Theatre Company, and Repertorio Español. She has been a finalist in the MetLife Nuestras Voces National Playwriting Competition, the recipient of a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Playwriting Fellowship, and placed third in the 2017 Henley Rose Playwright Competition. Dania holds an MA in creative writing from Wilkes University and a BFA in theatre performance from Montclair State University.
This project is in collaboration with ScriptWorks, and is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, and by the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Southwest Airlines, and the Surdna Foundation through a grant from the NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant Program.
Las Aventuras de Enoughie
A fun, bilingual puppet play celebrating friendship and kindness.
January 19 – February 25, 2018
Saturdays and Sundays at 11 AM and 2 PM
Enoughie knows what it’s like to be different from other kids. So when his new friends Esme and Hector get into a misunderstanding, Enoughie guides them on a magical adventure where they learn to be kind, work together, and believe in themselves. Perfect for ages 6 and up!
Enoughie sabe lo que es ser diferente de otros niños. Cuando sus amigos nuevos Esme y Hector se meten en un malentendido, Enoughie los guía en una aventura mágica donde aprenden a ser amables, trabajar juntos, y creer en sí mismos.
Presented in collaboration with Teatro Vivo, Glass Half Full Theatre, ZACH Theatre, and the Kindness Campaign.
Opening Night January 19, 7:00 PM
Sign Interpreted and Sensory Friendly Performance January 27, 11:00 AM
Emma S. Barrientos – Mexican American Cultural Center
600 River St, Austin, TX 78701
This project is supported in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
La Pastorela
The Traditional Holiday Favorite Returns to Austin
Regresa La Pastorela a Nuestra Comunidad
Teatro Vivo proudly presents La Pastorela, a bilingual holiday classic with a contemporary twist, presented at the Emma S. Barrientos-Mexican American Cultural Center, under the direction of Alexis A. Arredondo. La Pastorela follows a group of pastores (shepherds) traveling to Belén, where the angel San Miguel has told them that the redeemer will be born. In this retelling, a group of DREAMers embody the “pastores” and are working toward a hopeful future. Along the way, they encounter devils that try to stop them, while angels intercede on their behalf. The classic battle between good and evil is woven with current issues that are important to our community.
“Not everyone gets to go home for the holidays,” says Arredondo. “This year, La Pastorela gets its usual dose of fun loving angels, zany demons, and joyous music, but with a little message of hope thrown in about our people.” With humor, singing, and a live band directed by Clemencia Zapata, La Pastorela is sure to be a fun experience for the entire family.
Teatro Vivo orgullósamente presenta La Pastorela, la obra tradicional y bilingüe con un toque contemporáneo, presentada en el Emma S. Barrientos-Mexican American Cultural Center, bajo la dirección de Alexis A. Arredondo. La Pastorela sigue a un grupo de pastores que viajan a Belén, donde el ángel San Miguel les ha dicho que va nacer el redentor. En este recuento, un grupo de DREAMers personifican los “pastores” y están trabajando por un futuro lleno de esperanza. En el camino, se encuentran con demonios que intentan detenerlos, mientras los ángeles guardan a los pastores, en la batalla clásica entre el bien y el mal.
“No todos pueden regresar a su hogar para la navidad “, dice Arredondo. “Este año, La Pastorela recibe su dosis habitual de ángeles chistosos, demonios chiflados, y música alegre, pero con un mensaje de esperanza sobre nuestra gente”. Con humor, canto, y una banda en vivo dirigida por Clemencia Zapata, La Pastorela seguramente será una experiencia divertida para toda la familia.
December 7-17, 2017
Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm
Saturdays and Sundays at 4pm
Emma S. Barrientos – Mexican American Cultural Center
600 River St, Austin, TX 78701
$15 General Admission; $20 Reserved
Children under 12 FREE with a donation of two canned food items
Menores de 12 años entran GRATIS con una donación de dos latas de comida
Thursdays are “Pay What You Wish” at theatre, available an hour before the show!
This project is supported in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department, Texas Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and FuturoFund.
Announcing the 2018 Austin Latino New Play Festival
Teatro Vivo Now Accepting Entries for the ALNPF
AUSTIN, Texas – Teatro Vivo is pleased to announce a call for entries for the annual Austin Latino New Play Festival (ALNPF), presented in collaboration with ScriptWorks, to run April 19-21, 2018. Playwrights are invited to submit original scripts that provide a glimpse of the Latino community.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 15, 2017 by 11:59 PM. Four scripts will be selected for presentation at the festival, including one student piece and one theatre-for-youth piece. Selected plays will be announced in mid-January.
Eligible plays must be original, full-length works with a minimum 60-minute run time and a max of 10 roles. Additionally, plays must align with the Teatro Vivo mission statement, be focused on Latino/a lives, and must not have been produced before the ALNPF or scheduled for production during 2018. Preference will be given to plays that utilize both English and Spanish.
Now in its eighth year, the ALNPF provides an opportunity for playwrights to hear, see, and receive feedback on their original work. The festival brings each playwright together with a dramaturg, director, and actors to bring their play to life as a staged reading in front of an audience. Additionally, the selected works will receive a preliminary reading in March to give playwrights an opportunity to revise their work before rehearsals begin in April.
Playwrights of the selected pieces will collaborate with a dramaturg and director chosen by Teatro Vivo. Playwrights will be available to attend the preliminary reading of their play in March, the festival reading in April, and participate in a facilitated talk back with the audience immediately following the reading. The Austin Latino New Play Festival will take place at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.
This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
An Evening of Remembering
Celebrate Día de los Muertos with Teatro Vivo
Join us in celebrating life. This FREE event will help us appreciate and learn about various traditions to celebrate Día de los Muertos. We will reconnect with our heritage, and honor the lives and memories of our loved ones. Learn about grinding corn, Cempasúchil, and more. The event will conclude with a variety of performances by Teatro Vivo and our guests. Please bring copies of photos of your loved ones (please don’t bring original photos that could be lost or damaged), a story, song, poem, or anything else you would like to share. If you would like an actor to read it for you, please print it out. We hope to see you there!
November 3 & 4, 2017
Emma S. Barrientos – Mexican American Cultural Center
600 River St, Austin, TX 78701
FREE
Explore the Magic of Friendship
What would you do to get what you want?
TEATRO VIVO PRESENTS ENFRASCADA
A Dark Comedy by Tanya Saracho
Teatro Vivo is excited to bring you Enfrascada, a dark comedy by renowned playwright and screenwriter Tanya Saracho, presented at the Emma S. Barrientos-Mexican American Cultural Center under the direction of Claudia M. Chávez.
Alicia is a successful art curator who seems to have her life together. But, when her world is turned upside down, she turns to her friends for support. Together they seek the guidance of wise señoras – and enter the realm of hoodoo, santeria, and curanderismo – to make things how they used to be. With an all-star cast including Karina Domínguez, Emily McDougall, Eva McQuade, Bárbara Mojica, JoJanie Segura Moreno, and Minerva Villa-Rivera, this hilarious and touching comedy about a group of modern-day Latinas explores the magic of friendship.
“This story touches on so many amazing aspects of our culture,” says
Chávez. “It embodies freedom and the sisterhood of women.”
September 7-24, 2017
Emma S. Barrientos – Mexican American Cultural Center
600 River St, Austin, TX 78701
Thursdays through Saturdays* at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm
September 16 performance will be at 2:00 PM to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Emma S. Barrientos-Mexican American Cultural Center.
Stage management by René Gatica
Set Design by Gerardo de la Cruz
Lighting Design by Patrick Anthony
Costume Design by Melissa Swartz
Props Design by Deanna Deolloz
Sound Design by Carlos Schroeder-Arce
Graphic Design by Paul Del Bosque
About Tanya Saracho:
Tanya Saracho was born in Sinaloa, México and grew up between Reynosa, Mexico and McAllen, Texas. She is a playwright who also writes for television, including “Looking,” “Girls,” “Devious Maids,” and “How To Get Away With Murder.” Saracho is a winner of the Ofner Prize given by the Goodman Theater in Chicago, a recipient of an NEA Distinguished New Play Development Project Grant, and a 3Arts Artists Award. Saracho was given the first “Revolucionario” Award in Theater by the National Museum of Mexican Art.
jj’s arcade April 14 – May 7
TEATRO VIVO AND ZACH THEATRE INVITE YOU
TO CELEBRATE A CHILD’S IMAGINATION
Teatro Vivo presents a new play for the entire family this April. In partnership with ZACH Theatre, Teatro Vivo brings you the world premiere of jj’s arcade, a bilingual production for young audiences, at the Emma S. Barrientos-Mexican American Cultural Center.
Public Performances are April14 – May 7, 2017.
Friday and Saturday at 7pm
Matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
The new work by José Casas is directed by Nat Miller, and stars Diego Rodríguez and Alessandro Sánchez as José Joaquin (J.J.) Hernández. Joining them are Mario Ramírez as Mario Hernández, Martinique Duchene-Phillips as Sandra Hernández/Linda Garcia, and Ben Bazán as Oscar Torres.
Mario is a hard-working auto mechanic in east LA who is left to raise his son, JJ, after the passing of JJ’s mother. In order to honor her memory and cope with the lack of connection with his father, JJ begins to build an arcade out of leftover cardboard from his dad’s garage. It is through JJ’s imagination and ingenuity that he is able to connect to himself and his family. This bilingual play celebrates culture, imagination, perseverance, and family. jj’s arcade will be co-produced with ZACH Theatre and be presented at the Emma S. Barrientos-Mexican American Cultural Center, located at 600 River Street, Austin, Texas.
Recommendation: Ages 7 and up.
Run time: Approximately one hour.Curricular Connections: Science (Engineering), Dual Language (Spanish/English), Social Emotional Learning
Special events in celebration of jj’s arcade:
- Press Night: Friday, April 14, 2017 at 7 p.m. RSVP to shiro@motleycrewmedia.com
- Sensory Friendly and Sign Interpreted/Open Captioned Performance – April 29, 2017 at 2 p.m.
Tickets for jj’s arcade are $13 (Youth) and $15 (Adult) and are available online at http://zachtheatre.org/shows/theatre-for-families/jjs-arcade/ and by phone at 512-476-0541 x1, or in person at the ZACH Theatre Box Office, in the Topfer Theatre, 202 South Lamar Blvd. (corner of Riverside Drive and South Lamar Blvd.) Monday through Saturday, 12 – 7 p.m. All performances are at the Emma S. Barrientos-Mexican American Cultural Center. The ESB-MACC is wheelchair accessible. Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.
jj’s arcade Cast
Diego Rodriguez – Jose Joaquin (J.J) Hernandez
Alessandro Sanchez – Jose Joaquin (J.J) Hernandez
Mario Ramirez – Mario Hernandez
Martinique Duchene-Phillips – Sandra Hernandez/Linda Garcia
Ben Bazan – Oscar Torres
jj’s arcade Creative Team
José Casas-Playwright
Nat Miller – Director
Michael Krauss – Scenic Designer
Lacey Erb – Projection Designer
Alana Anthony – Costume Design Assistant
Patrick Anthony – Lighting Designer
Pete Martinez – Sound Designer
Megan Smith – Stage Manager
About Teatro Vivo
Inspired by the power of theatre to educate and entertain, Teatro Vivo is dedicated to producing and promoting theatre that showcases the Latino experience and is accessible to all audiences, especially those underserved by the arts. Founded in 2000, Teatro Vivo has produced more than 40 full-length bilingual productions, collaborations with other arts organizations, and opportunities for theatre artists to develop new work. Teatro Vivo is a proud member of the Latino Arts Residency Program at the Emma S. Barrientos-Mexican American Cultural Center.
About ZACH Theatre
A non-profit organization, ZACH creates intimate theatre experiences that ignite the imagination, inspire the spirit, and engage the community. As Austin’s leading professional producing theatre, ZACH employs more than 300 actors, musicians, and designers annually to create its own diverse array of nationally recognized plays and musicals under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley and Managing Director Elisbeth Challener. Founded in 1932 and in its 84nd season, ZACH is the longest continuously running theatre company in the state of Texas, and one of the ten oldest in the country. Visit www.zachtheatre.org for more information.
This project is sponsored in part by The Shubert Foundation, the Junior League of Austin, The National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, FuturoFund Austin, and the Cultural Arts Division of The City of Austin Economic Development Department.
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